ept us dry and comfortable when it rained. So happy and easy in our
minds were we that we almost forgot your existence; and when we happened
to remember, we used to say to each other: `Never mind; we are every bit
as comfortable as they are; we will stop on here a bit longer.' And so
we did, deferring our departure day after day and week after week, until
finally the ducks grew shy of us, and the other creatures seemed to
recognise our traps and avoid them; so that at length a time came when
we were pretty hard put to it to make a living. Then, too, we began to
feel lonesome, and to get snappy and short-tempered with each other; to
dream and think and talk about home and its comforts, until we grew
thoroughly dissatisfied with the life we were living; and one day, after
we had had one of our now frequent quarrels, I said to Dirk:--

"`Look here, mate, we appear to have quite forgotten those other two.
Do you think that a man of brains like Mr Blackburn is going to settle
down and be satisfied to pass the remainder of his life among a group of
desert islands like these? Because, if you do, I don't. Just consider
the facts. There is he and the boy; and you may safely bet that,
whatever else they may have done, or left undone, they will have taken
care to save the treasure that we found aboard that old galleon; and
what good will it do them so long as they remain here? No good at all.
Therefore I think we may take it for granted that he will set his wits
to work to get away from here by hook or by crook, taking the treasure
with them; and then where do _we_ come in, and what becomes of our share
of it? Let us cut adrift from this spot--which, anyhow, is of no
further use to us--and join them; and when they go, we will go with
them, and take our share of the treasure.'

"Dirk quite saw the force of my reasoning and eagerly agreed to my
proposal; so we made a start there and then, and--and here we are."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

IS TROUBLE BREWING?

"Exactly," I concurred. "Here you are. But how did you know where
Billy and I had located ourselves? and how did you contrive to make your
way here from the southern end of West Island?"

"West Island--is that the name of the place? Oh, we managed pretty
well," returned Svorenssen. "From the ridge of the hill where the
forest was all burned away we were able to get a very fair idea of the
geography of the group in general. We counted six islands in addition
to t